Bitelio
Bitelio vs MailerLite

Developer-first alternative
for MailerLite

MailerLite gets along with developers; Bitelio was designed around them. An API-first core, unlimited contacts, and billing pegged to emails sent — not subscriber tiers.

Pricing With a Developer's Logic

Send-based billing, never subscriber-based

Bitelio

Free to start, plans that scale

Billing keyed to emails sent, never subscribers stored — with full data control via API and export.

From $0/mo
  • Unlimited contacts, no subscriber fees
  • Free plan: 1,000 emails/month; Pro $19/mo: 15,000 included
  • EU-hosted, GDPR-compliant infrastructure
MailerLite

Pay per subscriber count

Monthly fees pegged to total subscriber count, on a closed, hosted-only platform.

From $10/month
  • Subscriber count sets the price
  • Inactive subscribers still inflate the bill as the list grows
  • Closed, proprietary platform

Built API-First, Not API-Also

Total control, boundless contacts, billing by what you send

Transparent Overage

Beyond your allowance, overage is a flat $1.20 per extra 1,000 emails — none of the forced tier climbing that subscriber pricing imposes.

API-First Design

Engineered for developers from the first commit: a modern REST API with thorough documentation that slots email neatly into your product.

Priced by Emails Sent

Volume sent is the only variable in your bill. Your contact list can balloon without ever forcing an upgrade or a price bump.

EU-Hosted & GDPR-Compliant

EU infrastructure, GDPR-aligned processing, and true data ownership — API access and exports whenever you want, vendor lock-in never.

Fast Setup

Live in five minutes: simple auth, tidy endpoints, docs that answer the question you actually have. No visual builder to learn first.

Unlimited Contacts

Contacts never cost anything, however many you add. Your database expands freely while pricing stays anchored to emails sent.

Feature comparison

Feature
Bitelio
MailerLite
Pricing Model
Free plan + tiers from $19/mo
Pay per subscriber
Free Tier
1,000 emails/month
1,000 subscribers
Transactional Emails
Marketing Campaigns
Workflow Automation
Drag-and-Drop Builder
Basic
Advanced
API Quality
Modern REST
Good REST
Developer Experience
Excellent
Good

Frequently asked questions

What is the main difference between Bitelio and MailerLite?

Pricing model and center of gravity. Bitelio bills by emails sent and gives every plan unlimited contacts; MailerLite bills by subscriber count. Both treat developers well, but Bitelio is API-first at its core, while MailerLite leads with visual builders and offers a solid API alongside.

Is Bitelio more expensive than MailerLite?

That hinges on how you use email. MailerLite's bill grows with your subscriber list (around $10/month at 1,000 subscribers). Bitelio ignores list size entirely: free for 1,000 emails/month, Pro at $19/month with 15,000 included, Scale at $99/month with 100,000, then a flat $1.20 per extra 1,000 emails. Since contacts are unlimited on every plan, anyone with a large list and moderate volume usually comes out ahead on Bitelio — the list itself never costs a cent.

How much control do I have over my data with Bitelio?

Complete control. Contacts, events, and analytics export on demand via API or dashboard, with zero lock-in. Processing happens on EU infrastructure under GDPR-compliant handling — a real advantage for privacy-sensitive products.

Does Bitelio have a drag-and-drop builder like MailerLite?

There's a simple editor built in, though most Bitelio users write their templates in HTML for the version control, testing, and reusability that code brings. MailerLite's visual drag-and-drop tooling is stronger for non-technical users. Developers who template in code will prefer Bitelio; marketer-heavy teams may prefer MailerLite.

How does Bitelio's API compare to MailerLite?

Both offer capable REST APIs — the difference is emphasis. Bitelio is built API-out, with programmatic sending and automation as the main event, so embedding email in your application is straightforward. MailerLite is built UI-out, with its API in a supporting role. For code-driven email work, Bitelio's developer experience comes out ahead.

Experience true developer-first email.

An API-first platform, contacts without ceilings, and billing tied to what you send. Free to begin.